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| Logo's ‘Big Gay Sketch Show’ is set-up as the queer version of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ complete with skits, satire and a multi-faceted cast. (Photo courtesy of Logo) |
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HOME > ENTERTAINMENT > FEATURE
By: BRIAN MOYLAN COMMENTS
 
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going to be, and how it was going to be structured and what the tone would be, but as it took shape, it became something that I feel like I fit nicely and I’m proud of what it became,” Paone, whose “Lorna Doone Lady” is a stand-out, says. “I certainly wondered what it was going to be, but I wasn’t worried that I was going to be pigeon-holed [into only gay projects in the future].”
For seasoned comedic actor Dion Flynn, the show and its title has changed his life considerably. He says the show was originally called “Simply Sketch” and he knew it had a gay angle, but was surprised when the title was changed. “The outness of my situation changed,” he says. “It’s much more defining. There was a part of me that liked that it was called ‘Simply Sketch.’”
He said talking to people about his work and being associated with the show has helped him come out and be more comfortable with himself. But while this was going on, he also felt the need to come out to the cast as bisexual. “I was on the ‘Big Gay Sketch Show’ and I had to come out yet again. But it really challenged my courage muscles,” he says.
THIS FORAY INTO COMEDY is stretching Logo’s muscles, too, since this is only the network’s second attempt at scripted television, following the first two seasons of drama “Noah’s Arc.” And, for Logo to gain traction both in gay culture and the culture at large, it’s going to need a big breakout show like Comedy Central’s “South Park” or TNT’s “The Closer.”
“We’re always striving to appeal to the widest possible audience and find a big hit show,” Sherman says, adding that Logo is not yet a rated network.
But the limitations for the fledgling channel are obvious. While its writing and acting are top-notch, the production quality of the show isn’t as polished as something seen on network television.
“No one is going to work for [Logo] to get rich at this point, but [I’m] going to work for a network that is representative of our community because it’s historic and because I can,” Bearse says. “You follow the restraints that come with it, which are budgetary … I still think we came out with a smart-looking product.”
Everyone involved with the project thinks that it has the ability to cross over to a wider audience.
“Not all straight people are retarded,” McGovern jokes. “It’s like ‘Soccer Practice.’ Straight people who had a sense of humor would enjoy it. Comedy is the universal language.”
Paone says that one of the straightest men she knows, her father, is already a convert, even wearing a jacket emblazoned with “Big Gay Sketch Show” around town.
“He is the quintessential Italian man from New Jersey,&r
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